“…but only say the word, and my servant will be healed.”
Matthew 8:8
…but only say the word, and my children will serve you.
…but only say the word, and my husband/wife will come home.
…but only say the word, and I will be free from addiction.
…but only say the word, and I will be healed from cancer.
…but only say the word, and I will be free from the bondages of sin.
When Jesus came to Capernaum, a centurion approached Him and begged for help, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it” (Matthew 8:5-8).
Matthew tells us the outcome of this exchange: “When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.’ And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you as you have believed.’ And the servant was healed at that very moment” (Matthew 8:10, 13).
When the centurion approached Jesus, the Bible says he, “begged [Jesus] for help.” He wasn’t begging out of fear; he was begging out of faith. This is how we can confirm this:
First…He knew the power of authority. The centurion was a high-ranking officer of the Roman army. He knew the power of authority. He tells his army to go and they go; he tells them to do this, and they do it.
Second…He knew what Jesus had authority over. He knew Jesus had authority over sickness and He would only need to speak the word and sickness would leave.
Third…The word was enough. Jesus agreed to come to his home and the centurion said “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, BUT ONLY SAY THE WORD, and my servant will be healed.”
I believe this is why Jesus “marveled” at the centurion’s faith and said, “Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith” (Matthew 8:10). The word was enough.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
During this pandemic, I received a call from one of my disciples saying her husband was experiencing demonic attacks. He would wake up screaming in the middle of the night with bruises on his body. In fear of the night, he would sleep during the day, all the while living in constant fear and torment.
My instinct was to take another leader with me, go to their home immediately, using the authority that Jesus gave us in Mark 16:17 and drive out all demonic forces, kicking the devil out of his life and out of his home. However, due to COVID-19, we were not able to leave our homes. I was discouraged, saddened and heavy-hearted, knowing someone needs deliverance and I couldn’t be there. God immediately brought me to the faith of the centurion. The Lord comforted me in His Word and said, “You don’t need to physically go there. I have already sent My Word.”
With confident assurance, I contacted another leader and FaceTimed my disciple and her husband. As soon as we saw him, he was laying on his bed in tears saying “God, I’m so sorry.” My heart was moved, I was in tears because Jesus was already with him. Just as He assured me earlier. We prayed for him as his wife laid hands on him for us, lead him into a prayer of deliverance and rededication. By the end of our prayer, he was sitting up, hugging his son and rejoicing in God’s presence.
He now attends a weekly Life Group, wakes his family up for our 7:00 AM church service and spends time regularly with God through his daily devotions. Today, Ben is living FREE & FEARLESS for Jesus!!! (Samantha DeCorte)
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“Lord, I declare today and every day, that Your Word is enough. If You said it and I say, it shall be done.”
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: 2 Samuel 22; Psalms 117
- New Testament: Mark 15:42-47; Galatians 5:13-26
